PANAJI:
Medical fraternity, however, has lauded the notification for being ‘scientifically smart’.
Of these 344 FDC drugs, most notable ones include Over The Counter (OTC) medicines such as Vicks Action 500 Extra, Crocin Cold & Flu, D’Cold Total tablets, Wikoryl tablet, entire group of Sinarest tablets and Corex syrup.
The worst hit among the OTCs are pediatric medicines, especially cough suppressants and other dry cough syrups including Ascoril D and Respira D.
Speaking to The Goan, President of Chemists’ and Druggists’ Association of Goa Prasad Tamba stated, “Recalling almost 10,000 products containing these 344 FDCs is a logistic nightmare. Almost 1,200 retail drug stores and others from the list of 3,500 registered pharmacists will have to undertake physical checks to take these off the shelves. This entire exercise could take at least a month.”
It was informed that numerous larger pharmacies are presently contemplating temporary closure in order to ensure that these banned drugs are taken off their shelves.
While welcoming the move as ‘bold’, Tamba said, “Had the government done this wisely and stopped manufacturing first, imposing a three to six months’ moratorium on the sale, it would have allowed the market enough time to liquidate its existing stocks.”
This sudden move, although long overdue, has led to a national wastage of around Rs 3,049 crore. Additional, available unsold stocks in the offing could push the figure further by around Rs 7,000.
Union health ministry notification dated March 10 prohibiting manufacture, sale and distribution of 344 FDC drugs across the country stating that these are likely to involve risk to human beings and citing availability of safer alternatives.
CDAG also informed that another list of 500-odd FDCs is presently under review for ban. Some of these drugs have been in the market since 1980s.
Dr Shekhar Salkar, president of Goa Medical Council, said that the ban should not create panic among the patients as there are enough alternatives available.
“These were irrational drug combinations, the side effects to which were not studied. A mechanism needs to be evolved to monitor side effects and in the future, relevant authorities should consider studying each drug entering the market,” he said.
He informed that patients will now have to buy two to four tablets and syrups instead of a single FDC to cure one illness.
Pharmacists also agreed that while the cost of medicines will go up for the patients, it will eventually pave way for more appropriate prescriptions and better drug-intake habits.
Seeking to clear the doubts over this notification Dr Oscar Rebello, a prominent medical practitioner and said, “Withdrawn FDCs may not have harmed the patients necessarily. Instead, they were banned because it was scientifically irrational to have such combinations. It was a courageous move as these FDCs were used simply because they were popular.”
Ividually tailored dosage is only a move towards smarter prescriptions, Dr Rebello said.
Addressing the fear among diabetics owing to anti-diabetes FDCs taking a huge hit, Dr Rebello said, “It is not that the drugs will not be available. Only the combination therapies or your single dose multi-drug medicines have been taken off the shelves.”
Drugs will now have to be prescribed as individual products, it was clarified.
